Storm
by Honor
Summary: A Squaifer. Squall's ex-wife dies suddenly and Squall is left as a single Parent.
1. Storm Arrives

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII.  
  
This is a romantic Seifer/Squall fic. You have been warned!  
  
Storm Arrives  
  
Squall sank into one of the chairs in Caraway's study, wondering why the man had summoned him. It had been six years since his divorce from Rinoa had become final, and in the eight years since Ultimecia's defeat no wars had broken out, so there was no reason for this to be business.  
  
He studied Caraway carefully for a few moments. The past few years had whitened his hair, and he looked pale and drained.  
  
"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come." Caraway moved from his seat opposite Squall to stare out of the window. "Rinoa died two days ago. She was involved in a traffic accident last week." He bowed his head. "Just like her mother."  
  
He turned back to Squall. "When Rinoa's mother died I was forced to bring Rinoa up by myself. I didn't do a very good job of it. I made many mistakes. Now it's your turn."  
  
Squall blinked confused. "I don't understand."  
  
Caraway sighed. "Much as I would like to correct the mistakes I made with my daughter, it's too late. If I were to bring up my granddaughter that is what would happen and that would be doing her an injustice. It's up to both of you to make your own mistakes. Squall, you have a daughter. Rinoa was pregnant when she left you though she claimed she did not know. I want my granddaughter to be brought up in Garden and to receive SeeD training. Maybe if Rinoa had. You're her father, take care of her. I think its time to introduce you"  
  
He walked to the door and opened it. "STORM!"  
  
Squall was sitting there trying to absorb the double blow of Rinoa's death and a daughter when the child in question walked in. She looked about seven years old. She had a white bandana covering her hair causing it to trail down her back in a thick column. She had two long bangs at the front like Squall's own, but they framed her face instead of curving back to cover her ears. Her hair was the same colour as Squall's but she had her mother's brown eyes. Squall couldn't decide whether she had Rinoa's nose, mouth etc, or his, but the overall effect was .cuteness. She wore a blue tie-dyed tank top and khaki cargo pants. She also had a scowl on her face as she flung herself into the nearest chair.  
  
"Storm was with her mother when she died and inherited both her sorceress powers and her GF's. She'll have to learn to control her powers, but for now it might be safer to remove her GF."  
  
Squall looked at the sulking child in front of him and nodded. Letting her use GF in this frame of mind was not a clever idea. Closing his eyes, he reached out mentally towards his daughter and drew Carbuncle, Cerberus and Cactuar into his own mind. The last two sunk in with no problems but Carbuncle was not cooperating. Squall heard a voice in his head.  
  
"Don't hurt her. She's been hurt enough. She's using anger as a shield against her grief, but you can help her."  
  
Carbuncle then sank into the recesses of Squall's mind. He opened his eyes and looked at Caraway. "Can I use your phone? I need to make arrangements for our arrival."  
  
Caraway nodded. "It's in the hall."  
  
Squall dialled first the number for Balamb garden's switchboard then the extension for Seifer. He didn't feel comfortable with the idea of talking to Quistis about this, so he was going to get someone to do it for him.  
  
Seifer picked up the phone at the other end. "Koi, what's the matter? You look a little shell-shocked."  
  
Squall saw the genuine concern on Seifer's face and smiled inwardly. He was so lucky to have someone like Seifer love him so much. "I am, rather. Listen, I need you to move us somewhere with two bedrooms. I also need you to make arrangements for a new junior classman."  
  
Seifer's eyes widened. "Squall, what is going on?"  
  
Squall smiled faintly but there was no happiness in the smile. "Rinoa died two days ago. I have a daughter I never knew existed. She's coming back to Garden with me. Her name's Storm."  
  
Seifer sighed. "Poor kid. Still at least here she'll meet a lot of people with the same experience. Lots of the SeeDs have only one parent, or none at all, like us."  
  
"They might not be as understanding as you think. She was with Rinoa when she died, and she inherited her mother's power. The most powerful sorceress in our time handed her powers to a child too young to have much control. Issue orders to keep reflect cast on anyone who enters Garden. When Rinoa 'Angel Wing'ed she had no control over her power. I can only hope we can teach Storm better control. Could you contact Matron? I have a feeling we're going to need her help."  
  
Seifer nodded and then sighed gustily. "I'll get right on it. Hurry back. I miss you."  
  
Squall smiled and broke the connection. He walked back to the study where neither Storm nor Caraway had moved. He looked at Caraway and said "Could you have her things packed up? We'll be leaving today. We should reach Balamb by nightfall." Caraway left to make the arrangements and Squall studied his daughter who was pretending to ignore him, while trying to study him as thoroughly as she could.  
  
"You know, I understand how you're feeling right now. It's a shock meeting a father you've never seen before for the first time," Squall tried to think of something else to say. :She must think I'm an idiot: He looked everywhere but at his daughter. "I felt uncomfortable the first few times I met your other grandfather, Laguna. I didn't know he was my father at first but I'd been having these weird dreams about him. When you meet Ellone, you'll probably understand. Matron will becoming to see you at Garden, she's the closest think my friends and me had to a mother. I'm sure she'll love you just like she'd us." :Now what do I say? I was never any good with words. Why did she have to take after me - I can't read her at all. I wonder what she's thinking: He glanced at Storm to find her removing all traces of interest from her face. :That's a good sign, I hope:  
  
He smiled and said, "I think you might enjoy Garden once you get used to it."  
  
Seifer's P.O.V.  
  
Squall.has.a.daughter. I couldn't believe it. That Rinoa was dead was a shock, after all, she and I had dated for a while and she was my boyfriend's ex-wife. But that she'd had Squall's child.my mind was still spinning as I turned to pick up the phone and dialled Quistis Trepe's office. Kinneas answered the phone. I had never really gotten on with Kinneas, even though he liked to wind up Chicken-wuss as much as I did. Maybe I felt that I was allowed to take the piss out of the wuss but nobody else was. He and Squall had been my exclusive targets for years. Oh, well. "Could I speak to Quistis please? It's important." Kinneas disappeared and I sneered at him silently. Quisty suddenly popped into view.  
  
"What's wrong, Seifer? Does the Disciplinary Committee have a problem it needs me to handle?"  
  
I sighed. Why did she assume something was wrong just because I'd called her? "No, this isn't about the Committee. Before I start, where's that damned cowboy?"  
  
Kinneas popped into view. "Call me that to my face, I'm right here."  
  
"That's the problem. This is, at the moment, confidential information. You'll only find out when Squall and Quistis decide. For now, scram!"  
  
Kinneas disappeared like one of his own gunshots. "Is he gone?"  
  
Quistis nodded, her lips drawn into a tight line. "He's gone. What's this about Seifer?"  
  
"I need you to move Squall and me somewhere with two bedrooms, and register a new junior classman. A girl named Storm." I hesitated not sure what surname to give her. Might as well get it out in the open. "Storm Leonhart."  
  
Quisty gasped loudly. The woman looked like a goldfish.  
  
"Hello. Airstation to Quistis.Respond, Quistis." Quisty shook herself and tried to regain her composure. She tapped on the computer panel in front of her.  
  
"Cid arranged for an apartment for you two to be built three years ago when these offices were put in. According to these specs, there's a room that was supposed to be his office but if we leave him where he is we can convert it in to a bedroom for Storm." Now I was the one who looked like a goldfish. Why had Cid ordered an apartment built into the basement level for us? Sometimes that man's foresight creeped me out. The last time I had met someone with that degree of insight into the future it had been someone to whom the future was ancient history - Ultimecia.  
  
I smiled. "Thanks Quisty. I'll let Squall know everything's arranged. Could you send someone over to help me move all this junk of ours?"  
  
Now she looked like a goldfish again. What had I said this time? Oh, I had called her Quisty. I hadn't done that since we were kids, except in my thoughts. No wonder she looked shocked. She smiled at me and spoke softly. "Anything to help my two best students. I'll send some of the Trepies down. If I ask them to get it done as quickly as possible the room'll be empty before you can blink." She was trying to joke but I saw a shimmer in her eyes. Had me calling her Quisty affected her this much? Great. If Kinneas saw her like this, he'd be round to shoot me for making her cry before she had a chance to explain.  
  
She put the phone down and the screen in front of me went blank. Feeling very awkward about the next call, I dialled the number of the newly built orphanage, where Headmaster Cid had retired. This one was slightly more accessible, having been built about five miles from Winhill.  
  
I felt even more awkward when Matron answered the phone. She looked the same as she had when I was a five-year-old boy. What's more, she made me feel I was still the same boy.  
  
"Seifer. To what do we owe the pleasure of this call? I don't think I've seen or heard from you since the twentieth anniversary celebrations last year." She smiled at me sweetly and to my horror, I could feel myself blushing.  
  
"I .Sorry. Matron, Squall and I need your help and we hoped you could visit us in Garden to do so."  
  
"It would have to be a very big problem for me to leave the children here. What is it?"  
  
I took a deep breath. This was going to be .difficult. "Squall has a six year old daughter named Storm, whom he only just found out about. Rinoa is dead, and she passed her powers onto Storm before she died."  
  
Matron wasn't doing the goldfish impression that Quisty had but she looked stunned.  
  
"I see. You do need my help. Once Squall arrives back at Balamb, try and talk him into bring the Garden to Winhill. It would be easier if I can keep an eye on the orphanage as well. I love Cid, but I don't think he'd be able to cope." Her serene face gazed back at him. "Good luck, my child. Until I am able to help you, you will need it." Matron broke the connection and I sat there, staring at the empty screen, trying to come to terms with the fact that now, I would have to share Squall with someone else.  
  
Squall's P.O.V.  
  
I stepped of the train, cradling the child in my arms gently. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. Then I remembered her face as she entered Caraway's study, and sighed.  
  
One of the porters was standing not too far from me. "Could you send our luggage on to Garden, please?"  
  
"Yes sir. We'll do it right away."  
  
"Thank you." I watched him walk away then I glanced down at Storm. She'd fallen asleep half way between Timber and Balamb.  
  
I walked down the steps outside the station. Seeing a shadow move, I cursed the fact that with Storm in my arms I couldn't use my gunblade, and then I relaxed as I recognized the handsome face. Seifer.  
  
"It's too late for us to head for Garden now so I booked us a room at the Hotel."  
  
I smiled gratefully at him and spoke softly. "Thanks love. She's too tired to move any further." Seifer strolled by my side as we headed for the hotel, his arm around my waist.  
  
He held open the door for me and I walked in, glad to be out of the cool night air.  
  
The hotel owner smiled at me. "Hello, Commander. New student?"  
  
I smiled as I shook my head. "My daughter." The man looked gobsmacked.  
  
"I never knew you had a daughter." He then looked horrified. "I mean, it's none of my business, why should I know whether you have a daughter or not." The man gabbled.  
  
"Relax. I didn't know until this morning, so I'd have been surprised if you said you had known." the man look relieved.  
  
"I'll show you to your room. The poor mite looks exhausted."  
  
"Her mother died two days ago. That's why she's here." The man looked even more sympathetic.  
  
"Here's your room, sirs. I hope you have a good night's sleep." He glanced down at Storm. "Poor lassie." He turned and headed back down the stairs.  
  
Seifer held open the door for me and then turned back the covers on one of the beds so I could put Storm on it. We removed her trainers and bandana, and covered her up. Seifer looked down at her.  
  
"Without out that bandana, she looks like you used to."  
  
"Used to?"  
  
"Before the scar. Whose eyes has she got?"  
  
"Rinoa's." Seifer gazed down at her then he seemed to think of something.  
  
"Squall, you never said what her surname was and it made it easier to tell Quisty so. I registered her as Storm Leonhart."  
  
I smiled. "That's fine." I looped my arm around his waist and placed my hand flat against his cheek.  
  
He gazed down at me, running a hand through my hair, and in a husky voice said "I missed you."  
  
"I was only gone two days." I said, trying to hide the fact that what he had said pleased me, and that I had missed him too.  
  
"And a night." He reminded me before he captured my mouth with his own. I moaned softly as his tongue explored the contours of my mouth. Suddenly he drew back, brushing his lips over mine in apology before saying, "We can't do this now. We might wake her up." He moved away, and took off his trench coat before sitting on the bed to remove his boots. Leaning back against the pillows he patted the space beside him. A wry smile wrung my lips as I removed jacket boots and the belts wrapped round my trousers. I laid Lionheart on the table next to Hyperion, and lay down beside him. A feather light kiss brushed my temples as I let him draw me into his embrace. I closed my eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.  
  
A/N: This idea came to me while reading other Squall/Seifer fics. Thank you to anyone whose work I read, as it was obviously inspirational! More of this will come, but it might take me a while. 


	2. Enter Jamie

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters. They belong to Squaresoft.  
  
A/N: for a six (nearly seven) year old kid, Storm is incredibly smart. // // is thoughts. This is a YAOI fic don't like leave.  
  
Enter Jamie  
  
Squall opened his eyes, comforted by the warm arm wrapped around his waist. A familiar pair of chocolate-brown eyes stared at him.  
  
//Rinoa! But, if she's there, whose arm is this? //  
  
Suddenly Squall remembered the events of the previous day. He relaxed, but then he tensed up again. He had no idea what to talk to children about, and even less about what to say to his own daughter.  
  
"Um. . . Did you . . sleep well?" He mentally grimaced. //Well done, Leonhart. That was smooth. //  
  
Storm's face set. "..Whatever." She rolled onto her back.  
  
Laughter filled the room. Squall turned his head to see Seifer, propped up on one arm, above him and laughing quietly. Seifer looked down at Squall.  
  
"She sounded just like you. Definitely her father's daughter."  
  
Squall smiled. The 'Whatever' had been reminiscent of him in the days before Seifer. Correction. Reminiscent of him, in the days before Seifer and he had stopped being rivals and became lovers instead.  
  
Seifer levered himself upright and pulled on his boots. "We'll be walking back. We never did get around to replacing the garden car Raijin totalled and now we have no room for it any way. I have to shop. Dr Kadowaki asked me to pick up some Phoenix Downs while I was here. They ran out while they were making up first aid kits for the exams."  
  
Squall nodded as Seifer donned his trademark coat and sheathed Hyperion. He sat up as Seifer approached him, and laid his hand against Seifer's cheek as the blond man kissed him thoroughly.  
  
"I missed you, Squally boy. I'll be back soon. Meet me in the breakfast room downstairs." Seifer glanced at Storm, who was glaring at the ceiling. "If the wind changes your face'll stay that way. See ya later, kid." Seifer strode out of the room, his familiar smirk firmly in place.  
  
Storm's POV //What did that guy mean, I sound like my dad? //  
  
Mom's description of Dad hadn't been very accurate. //She made him sound taciturn, a real ice prince. That wasn't the man I met. The man on the train had been a little nervous, but he hadn't had that 'Keep-the-hell-away- from-me' air she had always described. It was more an 'I-have-no-idea-what- to-talk-about,-and-don't-rally-want-to-talk-anyway' kind of thing. //  
  
I knew that the man who had just left had been Seifer Almasy, the Sorceress's Knight. A man who had tried to kill both my parents on several occasions, although he had been brainwashed at the time. He was also my dad's biggest rival. Mom's description of him had been spot on except for one thing. Mom had never said he was gay.  
  
Ok, so maybe she thought I was too young. I mean, for an average seven-year- old, sex is whether you're a boy or a girl, and what you do with other boys and girls doesn't really come into it. I had thought Mom knew me better than that though. I was one of those kids who could tell you the courting and mating habits of four species, including Homo sapiens, at the age of three. That meant she hadn't known.  
  
It certainly explained a few things. Despite what mom had told me I didn't know much about the war eight years ago. I mean she told me she was involved and that Seifer hadn't been responsible for his actions, but not much more. //Maybe now I can find out. //  
  
I glanced at the man lying in the next bed. He was staring at the ceiling, the way I had only moments before. It was weird. //I guess, Seifer was right. Even though we only met yesterday, we are an awful lot alike. //  
  
Squall's POV I lay there for a few moments. I was a top rank SeeD, a combat specialist. I had faced hundreds of opponents: man, monster and machine. Yet the mere thought of a conversation with this small child terrified me.  
  
"Go and wash, there's a sink in that room there. You can shower when we get back to Garden, when you have a change of clothes."  
  
Storm nodded and sat up. She stretched out her arms and gave this cute little yawn. When she notice me watching, however, she did a creditable impression of my patented Leonhart glare, and stalked into the bathroom.  
  
I sighed as I searched for my boots, which had somehow vanished during the night. It didn't look as though getting to know my daughter would be an easy task. Right then, I think I would have preferred fighting Ultimecia all over again than try to get inside the mind of a female six-year-old version of me.  
  
Seifer's POV  
  
I was strolling away from the gift shop by the station, box of Phoenix Downs tucked under my arm, when a familiar voice called my name.  
  
"Hey, Seifer! Over here, ya know!"  
  
I turned, my gaze scanning the crowd, when I saw Raijin on the bench by the junk shop.  
  
"I've been looking for you, ya know. Trepe said you were here."  
  
"Really? Why?"  
  
Raijin looked around at the crowd of tourists here on vacation. "Not here. Come on." He grabbed my arm and dragged me down to the harbour. I waited patiently for an explanation. This being Raijin, I didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Um...thing is... After all that business with Ellone on the Lunatic thing, ya know, you got a bit pissed and, well, you know, um.slept with Fuujin, ya know. Well, thing is, you got a daughter, ya know, and she's coming ta Garden. Me and Fuu been bringing her up, ya know, got hitched a while back. I came to tell ya they'd be arriving on the train today, so she can study at Garden. What's so funny? It ain't a joke, ya know."  
  
"Don't worry Rai, I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at Fate."  
  
"Fate?"  
  
"Yeah, yesterday, Squall found out Rinoa was dead and he has a six-year-old daughter. They're at the hotel at the moment."  
  
"Really? That is like, so weird, ya know! How do you know Squall's private life anyways?"  
  
I blinked. //We really have lost touch if I forgot to tell them. // "You don't know? Squall and I have been an item for the past three and a half years. Congratulations on your marriage, by the way."  
  
Raijin's jaw dropped. // I suppose it was a bit of a bombshell. He came to tell me that I have a daughter, and I tell him I'm gay. Big secrets between old friends.//  
  
"You....and Squall?!............ You're gay?! ...Ya coulda told us ya know. Never woulda guessed, ya know."  
  
I smiled. Maybe I had been worried about their reactions. Rai's easy acceptance certainly relieved me of tension I had been aware of.  
  
"I ought to go tell Squall about this and arrange for a bed for her. What's her name?"  
  
"Jamie. Jamie Almasy. You're on the birth certificate. Me and Fuu are happy, ya know. She's a sweet kid. Treats Barret real nice."  
  
"Who's Barret?"  
  
"Our son. He'll be five soon. A real handful, ya know. Worse than anything from our DC days. I'll bring Jamie to the hotel when she arrives and have her stuff sent on to Garden."  
  
"That'll be fine. See you another time, Rai."  
  
// Oh, boy. First Squall and now me. How many more kids will pop up out of the woodwork? Mind you, the only one left not here in Balamb was Selphie. // She'd taken a shine to Squall's father, the President of Esthar. Now Esthar was officially (and I mean officially) Party Central. They had Festivals right, left, and centre, and both halves of the couple acted as though they were permanently high. Squall and I had visited them for the Winter break. We spent most of it plotting with Kiros and Ward how to make sure it never happened again. If they had a kid it would be Squall's half- brother or sister, and with them as parents, the kid would either be insane by the time he was two, or run away to Garden as soon as possible. The likelihood of another child showing up had been quite dramatically reduced. Although, to listen to Kinneas talk, a dozen kids could turn up with his surname, all with different mothers.  
  
I walked into the hotel's morning room and looked around. It was quite empty, so it was easy to spot Squall and Strom sitting together on a table for four by the window. As I approached the table, Storm stood up, said something to Squall and left. She caught my gaze and winked as she left.  
  
"Where's she going?"  
  
"Bathroom." Somehow the kid had realised I wanted to talk to Squall alone and she had removed herself from the picture. This kid was strange. Squall's gaze followed her to the door, then he turned to me.  
  
"So quiet, dear heart? What's wrong? Don't tell me the shop ran out of Phoenix Downs?" He raised an eyebrow enquiringly, inviting me to talk.  
  
"I bumped into Raijin. According to him, while you guys where in Time Compression, I was pissed as a fart and knocking up Fuujin." // I could have worded that a bit better. His face is a picture.//  
  
"I also have a daughter and she arrives in Balamb in about half-hour's time. Raijin said he'd be bringing her to the hotel. He and Fuu got married; they got a five-year-old boy. Jamie wants to study at Garden."  
  
Squall started chuckling. "Jamie? Is that her name? Is there any way we can move her in with us?"  
  
"I don't know. We'll have to ask Quistis, she's seen the apartment. She'll know if we can add an extra bed."  
  
"Apartment?"  
  
"Apparently, Cid had an apartment built down on the old Master's level in the basement at the same time as those offices in the old parking lot. One of the rooms was designed as a private library/study. Hyne knows why, neither of us reads books much, and trying to get you away from your office is hard enough without building you a room so you can bring your work home with you. Therefore, that was being converted for Storm. Quisty may be able to fit Jamie in as well."  
  
"I'll go ring her now. You tell Storm the good news." He rushed of in the direction of the hotel lobby and a telephone. I realised with a grin that he was scared shitless of his own daughter. // I might be like that in an hours time. // It was a sobering thought.  
  
Storm returned to the table. "Where'd Dad go?" //She felt comfortable calling him Dad? She only met him yesterday. Maybe she's not as angry as she pretends to be. //  
  
"Storm?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I ...ah...find myself in the same ....predicament as your father."  
  
"You've just found out you've got a kid too? The universe has a sense of Humour." // This kid wasn't just strange she was spooky.// Then I remembered she was a sorceress and figured she had an excuse. Moreover, she probably had her father's brains.  
  
"Her name's Jamie. She'll be arriving soon."  
  
"Okay." Storm dropped her scowl and gave me the sweetest smile I've ever seen. "Now I have someone I can complain about you two to, and fight with." This kid really puzzled me, and I'd only known her a few hours.  
  
Squall's POV  
  
"Hi Quisty." I was glad Irvine hadn't answered. //If he knows why Seifer phoned yesterday, I'll never hear the end of it, and if he doesn't then he'll bug me until I tell him. //  
  
"Greetings, Commander. What can I do for you? Your apartment is nearly ready and your daughter's registration has all been taken care of."  
  
"Don't call me that, Quisty. Is there room for another bed in Storm's room?"  
  
"Yes, why?"  
  
"Life's little joke. Another student will be joining us. Jamie Almasy. She's seven, and I'll need you to register her. Her other parent is Fuujin." Quisty's eyes almost popped out of her head and her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish's.  
  
"Um...Quisty?.........Are you still in there?  
  
Quistis visibly shook herself. // She looks like a Torama that took an unexpected bath.// I almost laughed, but managed to control it.  
  
"I'll get right on it. Squall, I know this must be an immense shock to all of you but I'm sure you'll be happy." I tried to ignore the fact that I had heard her murmured "Eventually," as I lowered the receiver.  
  
"THERE."  
  
"O'What! Squall, wait up!" I looked round to see Raijin and Fuujin heading towards me with children in tow.  
  
"This is Jamie, ya know. Good ta see ya, ya know?"  
  
I looked at Jamie. She had her mother's build and facial features, but the high brow was Seifer's, as were the emerald eyes. Her hair was the same colour as Seif's and she wore it loose, cut about an inch above her shoulders, with a strange fringe that swept to one side instead of hanging straight. You could hardly see any of Rinoa in Storm, but although you could tell Jamie was Seifer's daughter, it was easy to see she took after her mother in all but colouring.  
  
The other child in tow was small, chubby and dark-skinned. He was tugging the leg of his mother's trousers, and he spoke in a piping voice. "STAY.SEED.PLEASE?" The last was said rather wistfully, despite the volume at which it was delivered. Fuujin picked him up and settled him on her hip.  
  
"BARRET. YOUNG. WAIT."  
  
"We have ta get goin', ya know? See ya soon, baby. Later, Squall, ya know?" " SQUALL. SEIFER. APOLOGIES. FAREWELLS." I interpreted that as 'tell Seifer we're sorry and we'll see him another time.' as Raijin, Fuujin and little Barret left the hotel I stared after them, bewildered.  
  
"So you're Squall Leonhart, huh? I thought you and my dad were enemies. Where is he, anyways?"  
  
"Rivals," I corrected absentmindedly, "We used to be rivals. Now, we're ...partners."  
  
Floating Camera POV  
  
Squall suddenly realised he'd been standing there, staring at the empty doorway of the Balamb Hotel for about a minute.  
  
"We haven't eaten yet. Your father's in the breakfast room with Storm." As he said this he guided Jamie through the door and entered. As they headed for the table, Jamie suddenly stopped.  
  
"What is it Jamie?"  
  
"I have three questions. 1. What am I supposed to call you? 2. Who is Storm? And three. Why is she sitting next to my dad?"  
  
Jamie's POV  
  
I'm not stupid. I knew what that 'partners' remark was about. Rai had told Mom Dad and Squall were lovers. What I didn't was whether to call him by his first name like I do Rai or whether he'd think it was rude. I looked at the other girl sitting at the table. She shook her head and hair flew over her shoulder. It was the same colour as his! Something clicked. I had never heard about this girl but that didn't mean she didn't exist. She was obviously Squall Leonhart's daughter, and in the same boat as me. This explains why we came to the hotel instead of Garden. I rather feel sorry for Dad and Squall. Two kids dumped on them at the same time.  
  
I gave my dad an assessing look. He had the same green eyes as me, and his hair was the same colour but he wore it gelled back so it moulded the contours of his skull. The silver trench coat wasn't bad, in fact it was quite cool. But the blue and white vest top and black trousers.... Those I would have to do something about.  
  
Squall wore this tatty leather jacket with a fur collar, a white t-shirt, a rather cool looking pendant, tatty black trousers similar to my Dad's and some cool belts. Another project waiting to be started.  
  
The Leonhart kid, Storm, didn't dress too badly, which was a surprise when you look at Squall and consider the fact that she had one of those walking fashion disasters known as Sorceresses for a mother. I don't have anything against sorceresses, but half of them don't look human, and none of them have any dress sense. Take her mom for example. Who in their right mind wears a nightdress to a party, or spoils a good outfit by deciding it needs a long flowy piece of material down to your ankles, when the rest of it barely reaches your knees. Despite the bad influence she seemed to have done all right.  
  
I'm not one of those freaks who buys something just because it's fashionable, without regard for comfort. But neither am I one of those slobs who buys tat because it's comfortable. It seemed like Dad and Squall fit into that last category. But maybe with Storm's help, I can make it so I'm less embarrassed to be seen with them.  
  
A/N. Jamie seems a little obsessed with clothes, which is weird, but it gave me the basis for a plot element, so I don't really mind. Storm does seem like the replica of her father but is she really? You'll have to wait and see. Please review. 


	3. Moving On

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII or any of its characters. They belong to Squaresoft. A/N: Be prepared for lots of POV changes. I wasn't going to explain who's who, but when I'd marked POV changes with a border they didn't show up. 3 kilos is 6.6 pounds and candy floss is cotton candy for any Americans reading this. // // is thoughts. This is a YAOI fic don't like leave.  
  
Moving On  
  
[Seifer]  
  
I looked up to see Squall coming towards me. //Is that Jamie behind him? Figures. Her mom was always one step behind me. //  
  
She had Fuu's build. My hair though. Now that they were closer, I could see she had my eyes too.  
  
She wore flared jeans with a yellow stripe running down the seams, a sleeveless purple top, and a black lacy-knit cardigan with flared sleeves that stopped just above her wrists. I saw her glance at mine and Squall's clothes as I stood to greet them and as Squall and I sat down. The look of disgust on her face made me want to laugh. She had been brought up by Raijin and Fuujin. One wore the worst clothes I've ever seen, and the other never changed out of her uniform, which came from some long extinct military force. Despite this, the kid still managed to care about clothes. It was plain she didn't think much of mine or Squall's dress sense.  
  
There was no look of disgust when she looked at Storm, however. There was an air about her as if she had been pleasantly surprised, and a faint glint in her eye that I recognized from Selphie as the 'female-planning- something' look. However, you always knew what it was Selphie was planning, because she'd tell you sooner or later, usually sooner.  
  
"Hello Jamie. I ..." I looked at Squall. He saw the look in my eyes and laughed. "Don't look at me for help. What was it I said on the train yesterday? Storm?"  
  
Storm looked up from her bread roll and fresh fruit and said, in an all too familiar monotone, "'So, your name is Storm. We're going to Balamb Garden. You'll be studying there.' Then your leg cramped up and you muttered under your breath 'Why'd I have to inherit this stupid nervous cramp? Damn Laguna.' After that I stopped listening."  
  
She then returned her attention to her breakfast. I just laughed. Once Squall and I started dating, he'd loosened up a lot, and he and his father now got along much better. I hadn't known about the leg cramps though. //Guess he's never been nervous enough. A small child makes him more nervous than I ever did. Guess that's not much of a compliment. //  
  
It was a tense meal. Storm wasn't in a talkative mood, which wasn't really a surprise. After all, her father had been like that for about 17 years, ever since Sis left, and from all observations Storm was taking her mother's death the same way he had Ellone's disappearance. Squall and I had no idea what to say to either of the girls, and Jamie didn't seem to care, concentrating on her muesli and yoghurt mixture.  
  
I vaguely heard the tail end of a question Jamie asked Storm, but Storm just gave one of those "......" silent noises and Jamie just shrugged and grabbed a piece of toast.  
  
I don't know how Squall was feeling, but I was out of my depth and sinking fast. //I'm gay, have loved Squall since practically before I hit puberty, what experience do I have with girls? //  
  
We were walking back to Garden, not bothering to stay on the road since Squall had Diablos and Enc-None junctioned. Jamie was walking ahead with Squall. I didn't mind, since this left me with Storm, and I knew how to deal with Leonhart moods. Although, my tactics might have to change a bit.  
  
"Hey kid... Hey Storm, snap out of La-La-land, and pay attention for a minute."  
  
That had the same effect on her as it did on her father – the head snapped up and an icy glare met my gaze. Of course, her glare wasn't as effective as Squall's; Storm didn't have the eyes for it.  
  
"Listen. While you're at Garden as a student or SeeD you'll have to call me Commander, but in private call me Seifer, or Seif, okay?"  
  
She flashed me another of those brilliant smiles. "'Kay. That's another way of saying you guys aren't gonna go easy on me 'cause of Dad, isn't it?"  
  
It really surprised me how bright this kid was for a six-year-old. "Yep. Your Dad's probably telling Jamie the same thing."  
  
"Seif... I'm gonna have to learn about the second Sorceress War aren't I? Will you guys tell me the truth before I learn whatever fairy story you guys are feeding the world?"  
  
Now I was really shocked. "I guess so. Let's leave it for a while though."  
  
Suddenly I heard the metallic twangs of the rotating anti-grav disc that was the main component of Balamb Garden's flight systems. The look on Storm's face as the Garden came into view was a sight to behold. Her eyes went wide and awe was written across her features. // Poor kid's spent most of her life in FH and Deling, neither of which are exactly beauty spots. I can't wait to see her face the first time we visit Laguna. If she thinks the Garden is impressive, wait till she sees Esthar.//  
  
[Squall]  
  
After the war had ended, we had resettled the Garden in the space it had previously occupied. This meant there was a slight ridge on all sides, due to the missiles that had enlarged the crater left behind. As we hit the crest of the ridge at the point where it had been lowered for clients, I noticed a small cluster of figures by the Garden's entrance. The fact that one of the figures wore sunshine yellow led me to the conclusion that Selphie, along with my father and Sis, had been summoned from Esthar on some pretext or other, giving Storm a chance to meet her Grandfather.  
  
I knew that by evening, the whole Garden would not only know of Storm and Jaime's existence, but would also be invited to a 'Welcome to Garden' party. I also knew that I had next to no chance of being able to get out of going to it. I sighed, and Jamie looked at me quizzically.  
  
"What's wrong Squall? Aren't you happy to be back here?"  
  
"Yeah, I am. What I'm not happy about is that." I pointed down the hill. "That yellow blob is my stepmother, Selphie. This means a party. I hate parties. People expect you fun. It also means I have to wear that annoying uniform."  
  
"Poor Squally," snickered Jamie. "We'll just have to find you something else to wear at parties."  
  
Somehow I knew not only was the child unsympathetic, but that I had been volunteered for a clothes shopping trip. This was not good.  
  
[Quistis]  
  
I was beginning to regret calling Selphie and telling her to 'hop on the Ragnarock Mark II and bring Laguna' because Squall 'had a surprise for them'. I hadn't been strictly truthful and the idea of Squall and surprises together excited Laguna and Selphie more than drinking 50 cups of super- strong coffee and eating 3 kilos of candyfloss could. Which they've actually done, so believe me, I know what I'm talking about.  
  
I saw two figures crest the hill just in front of Balamb Garden silhouetted against the skyline, and smiled as the larger of the two pointed towards us. I easily recognized the figure as Squall, and at that moment another two figures appeared as well.  
  
"Quisty, what exactly is this 'surprise'?" Selphie asked, gazing at the four silhouettes.  
  
"Well, you could wait here and find out." Selphie pulled a face.  
  
"C'mon Quisty..." I was about to tell her off when Laguna interrupted.  
  
"Selph," said Laguna, gazing at his wife of five years. "Let Squall tell us."  
  
[Narrator]  
  
Selphie had fallen in love with Laguna the first time she saw him during Ellone's Time-Junctioning, and had relentlessly pursued him. Two years after Ultimecia's defeat, he finally gave in to a date, putting aside his 19-year grief over the death of his first wife, Raine, Squall's mother. It bothered Squall sometimes to realise that he had grown up with his step- mother – and that he was, in fact, 8 months older than her.  
  
[Laguna]  
  
I knew. Sometimes it surprises me how unobservant Selph can actually be. Even from this distance I could tell that one of those children was Squall's. Was my grandchild.  
  
//Itai! Itai! // Quistis was smiling behind her hand as I tried to walk off my cramp. Selph was flat-out laughing, while trying to massage away the cramp. Unfortunately, she kept falling over because she was laughing and I was limping, which was making...Irvine? ...laugh too. Suddenly, I realised Squall was standing a few feet away.  
  
[Seifer]  
  
Storm watched the comical tableau for a few moments, and then she leant towards me and covered her mouth. "I'm guessing the clown is my grandfather, huh?"  
  
I looked at her, surprised. "Yes. Do you mind telling me how you guessed? And Storm... It's not nice to call your grandfather a clown."  
  
She smirked at me – an honest-to-Hyne actual smirk – and said, ticking off on her fingers as she did so, "He looks like Dad. Dad was cursing inheriting a nervous cramp, and he," she pointed at Laguna "was obviously nervous and he was limping, indicating cramp."  
  
She spoke matter-of-factly, as though unaware that other six-year-olds were, by and large, incapable of that kind of deductive reasoning.  
  
"Anyway, he was like a clown. Everyone was laughing."  
  
//Hyne...Point, set and match. // If anyone ever found out that the Commander of the SeeD forces was out-manoeuvred by a six-year-old, they'd hire the six-year-olds instead.  
  
"Are you nervous?" I asked, knowing full well that if I mentioned fear, or anything indicating cowardice, I'd have a volcano on my hands.  
  
That was what Squall was, a volcano. Not an iceberg – cold all the way through – because then he'd be calm. No... He was an ice field volcano – cool and calm on the surface – but an eruption would show just how fiery he was beneath that calm veneer of rock and ice.  
  
I had little doubt that this little minx would be the same. She glanced at me, her face composed. Then she glared at the ground. "... Whatever."  
  
[Squall]  
  
I glared at Quistis. It was obvious who to blame for this...debacle. //Students are staring... Where can we go? ... My office?...It'll have to do, I suppose.// I nodded to myself and slipped out of my thinking pose. You know. The one Seifer calls the 'I'm-a-little-teapot' one.  
  
I glanced down at Jamie, who was staring wide-eyed at Garden.  
  
"Everyone, my office. Now. Come along Jamie." Not really knowing why, I held out my hand to her. Almost absent-mindedly, she took it, clutching desperately, though her face showed only the calm, almost disdain, that had been her mother's trademark expression.  
  
[Jamie]  
  
//Wow, its so big...and pretty...I've never seen a building you could 'pretty' before...//  
  
//All the smaller windows have people at them and they're all staring. //  
  
Squall was saying something, I'm not sure what, and he held out his hand, I grabbed hold like I was drowning, and he was my only lifeline.  
  
Pretty soon, we were in the Elevator and none of the students were around. I relaxed my grip a little, and Squall looked down at me and smiled. Everyone else in the elevator except Dad and Storm 'aah'-ed at us, and Squall's back stiffened, his head shot up, and he glared at them.  
  
"Glaring will do you no good at all Squall, we already saw it. You guys are so cute." said the woman in yellow. //What was her name? Selphie?// The elevator stopped and we got off. Squall stalked into his office real fast, he forgot he was still holding my hand, so I had to run to keep up.  
  
He sat down in the chair behind the big desk, and shot a disapproving frown at me, but said nothing, as I perched myself on one of the wide arms of the chair. A quick glance at Storm, and she was on the other arm, and Dad stood behind us. Good. Now we presented a united front. Given that we were behind the desk and everyone else was in front of it, I doubt anyone noticed me squeeze Squall's hand, then drop it.  
  
A/N: After ages I finally managed to break my writer's block! ^_^' I think my trip to Japan two weeks ago helped, since I wrote part of this chapter and part of the next during the 12 hour flight and in the hotel. Japan is great! I went up Tokyo Tower and visited a Shinto shrine! Oh, by the way, the chapter title refers to breaking the writer's block so the story could move on. Read and review, onegai shimasu. 


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